Grim Reminder
by detrametal
Summary: "Have you ever heard the tale of Hiranyakashipu?" Death asked quietly "That is why I'm afraid. Everything can die Bleed Heart. Everything. I wake up praying that somebody else I care for hasn't been taken."


When it happened it took Mandy by surprise. As she lay in her bed an opaque bag was dropped on her head as tape was wound around her mouth and over the bag as a gag along with binding her arms and legs. Her arms she could only hold straight behind her while her legs were bound into a kneeling position.

Then came the conversation.

All three of the voices were familiar but they were not anything she remembered. But the First put his fist in her abdomen. The thin fingers curled into talons and tearing organs "What should we do about _this_?" she could feel his fingers lightly scratching at her womb.

The second, a man older than the first with a more lilting voice replied "Rip it out. It's caused too many problems, maybe she'll do better without."

The final was a woman "Do not. We may have use of it later, for your purposes or another"

The second male chuckled "Well, she is a whore why not use her? "

The first said nothing. He really didn't need to considering he just tore a huge chunk out of her stomach. She let out a scream that was muffled by the gag. The pitter of small footsteps on the stones made her still. Daniela screamed and she heard Manny roar before charging. Then there was silence until she was picked up.

Mandy was cruel, calculating, wrathful and possessive. They had just touched what was hers. They would pay.

She hadn't even realized the group had started moving again until she was thrown onto the floor in a kneeling position and the mask removed, the two voices behind her let her know that her two youngest spawn were alive if not okay. She glanced around her. Then the surprise spiked.

She was kneeling before a throne. As were the others of the Big Five, all of them bound in the same way, Kare was raging while Hudson had what she assumed to be a smile on his face, Aku was shocked while Walker was petrified in fear. Looking up, however, had her even more shocked.

Jeff the spider chittered nervously while Chi, Mimi and MiniMandy looked down at the group blankly. The girls were all around 21 and her own daughter didn't have a rag doll body anymore causing the mother to wonder what the hell happened. A four inch floating ball of white dust hovered over the empty throne while Jack Skellington crouched around it, his body was on one side while a long arm was wrapped around the back and gripping the other side, a knee peaked out at a steep angle, but the look in his sockets was totally insane and his smile was anything but happy. It looked like something out of the asylum.

Then the final person walked in. "Grim?" the question escaped her mouth before she could stop it.

Jack answered for him "No." the reaper sat on the throne, there was no doubt that this was not the Grim Reaper they knew. For one the robe he wore was vastly different, it was more like a jacket, it sported a bone white tribal design in the middle from chin to waist and the jacket split in two before it ran to the floor along with his black pants, both of which turned into a black fog obscuring everything around where the Reaper's feet should be.

With a snap of his fingers the Scythe appeared, but at his touch changed. the once straight staff twisted offsetting it, and in the middle was a handle making it much more like the human scythe that was once used on grain before it flickered back to it's normal shape. When he sat she noticed that all of them were in range.

One sweep and there wouldn't be anymore rulers.

But she also heard voices behind her and not just Daniela and Manny. "My, my. He came through on his word. Very interesting, it's been a long time since the Underworld has had a true ruler." from the left side came four people, the one who spoke was a very pale woman with violet eyes and purple hair, the gem set in her brow gleamed brightly in the light. Her long purple dress actually distracted many of the males in the room, the plunging neckline and the revealed shoulders made her seductive, the materials made her royal. Immediately behind her was a large green man, his hair was a darker shade as were his eye and he wore a suit comparable to her dress, everything about it was either deep green or black and he stayed very close to her, far closer than a normal bodyguard.

The next to enter was easily recognizable, his hair and beard were short, white and curly, his toga was cloud white and his sandals gold. Storm grey eyes looked down on everything and even never having met him she knew who he was. Zeus.

The final was an angel, but he was far older than any other she had ever met, his armor was a light brown leather and the gaps between pieces showed pure white cloth underneath. The only weapon she saw was a long thin sword that sat on his waist, unadorned from anything save a length of gold cloth that wrapped around the hilt. From his back were four truly massive wings with white feathers that glowed a faint blue, his face was covered by a hood and his hands were hidden within long sleeves. Bowing subtly at those in the room he said in a beautiful voice "He has done as he said. Now we will do the same."

Zeus scoffed "This brat has my word. Now I'm done" and he stormed out.

Standing the reaper tapped the butt of the scythe on the ground once and a shockwave rippled through the air "Hudson, Kare, Walker, Aku and Mandy. I have destroyed your rule and subjugated your warriors. You will pass your rule to your successor or I will kill you."

Kare growled "Junior…you turned out to be a bigger pain in the ass than I thought you would"

Junior tilted his head "I am not Junior. Nor am I Grim. Nor Nyx. Nor Thanatos. Nor any other incarnation of Death that you would know of." with another tap of the scythe a collar of runes appeared around all of the Big Five's neck "You will do no harm to your heirs" and the new marks glowed bright grey before dulling to a faint light.

Invisible hands pulled those kneeling to their feet and they each felt a chill of rift traveling before they appeared in their respective throne rooms. MiniMandy watched her mother as Chi and Mimi watched their fathers. The last thing the rulers saw only meant something to Mandy. But it was something she didn't like. From the Reaper's left sleeve came a serpentine form with glowing green eyes and far too many needle like teeth. **The Darkness.**

Only when they left the person who was once Junior nodded to Jeff who skittered across the floor before giving a broad sweeping gesture "If you would please follow me I'd like get you all refreshments."

* * *

Entering the Reaper's office the four made their way to the desk and the two chairs that sat in front of it. The Reaper sat behind the desk while the angel shuffled his wings lightly to accommodate the back and arms of the chair, the woman waited for her bodyguard to sit before she smoothly sat in his lap and leaned into his chest. Someone closed the door and the visitors turned to see him, a hulking mammoth of a creature in a military uniform with a gaping hole where his heart should have been "Thank you Bleed Heart, but from here on out is something I can't bother you with." the Reaper said carefully.

The Lady spoke up "So that's the infamous Bleed Heart, the reaper's right hand collector of souls."

Bleed Heart nodded "I serve Death and will do whatever he commands of me." before bowing and leaving.

The angel shuffled his wings again before asking "What should we call you? When we last met you were indeed 'Junior' but now you are quite different."

The reply was not an answer "I don't know. I've changed so much that names no longer matter, by all logical thought I am no longer a 'Junior' to anything. Call me what you will."

The woman smiled "How about 'Death' you, as you said, are no mere incarnation."

The angel titled his head before speaking "Heaven deems you as such."

"Hell deems you as such." the woman mirrored a moment later.

Death nodded before looking at the trio "Zeus acted as expected. Will Heaven and Hell stand with the Underworld?"

Michael, one of the oldest and most powerful archangels nodded "If war breaks out Heaven will stand with you."

"What of the former Teen Titans?"

Raven's death had taken a huge toll on Beast Boy's fragile sanity and he had brokered a deal with the Grim Reaper. Beast Boy had gone to Trigon's realm and butchered the monster. Absorbing the evil of the demon allowed him to move in and out of Hell as he saw fit but even after searching the entirety of Hell he could not find her.

Raven's life of serving others and dying for Mimi had given her a prized place in Heaven. But even the angels bowed in the face of her love for him and thus she descended into Hell to be with him and they had conquered that land of the damned as retribution against those souls that sought to keep them apart.

Their love was pure and also iron, any who tried to stand between them were destroyed.

Raven looked at her lover who somehow communicated without speaking or moving "When Zeus moves, if you need us we will help."

The Lord of the Underworld nodded "Then I have little to worry about, at least as far as Earth is concerned." Jeff scuttled in and smiled pleasantly as he poured the drinks and after checking that everything was okay left just as quickly as he came allowing the four to speak in peace. Idle chatter died away with the drinks until Death stood up "After this meeting I'll be pretty busy so is there anything that needs to be discussed right now?"

Michael shook his head "We have none." and Raven shook her head and after the quick farewells they left leaving Death alone. Slowly he lowered his head until it hit the desk with an empty _thunk_. Only his first day and he was so tired. Bleed Heart stepped back in but said nothing as his master composed himself.

After a deep breath and lifting his head Death gestured for Bleed Heart to sit in one of the vacated chairs and he did. Bleed Heart's massive frame intimidated many but for Death and his allies it was a welcome figure. Mandy's war with Kare had annihilated many other worlds including Heart's leaving him and a few others with a place to go. Junior had promised them a home as soon as he put the war to an end.

Which he had done.

Heart asked quietly "They agreed?" he got a nod before he continued "Then I think you need to get some rest, word is already circulating that the war's over and that you've subjugated the Big Five." the something softer came over Heart "Everyone is already settled in, you are the only one that has not made their way to his room. We've worked for years to make this Nexus habitable so go. Sleep. Then tomorrow will come."

Death waited several moments before opening his jaw "If I sleep now tomorrow will come with us unprepared. I have to keep going."

Another answer came from the giant's mouth "You are afraid to sleep."

"Have you ever heard the tale of Hiranyakashipu?" Death asked quietly "That is why I'm afraid. Everything can die Bleed Heart. Everything. I wake up praying that somebody else I care for hasn't been taken."

Bleed Heart bowed and left in silence, leaving the Reaper to his work.

* * *

 **Okay, unlike the other GT fics I wrote I'm not just winging this one, I actually have it thought out so I won't be abandoning this one like the others. Also of note is that this is part of Broconi's "Family Heritage" challenge. Lemme know what you think.**


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